Page 26 of Incubus

“I’ll be right back.” Apollo chucked me under the chin, and I pondered grabbing my butter knife and sinking it into his thigh. But he was up and gone before I could go through with the ill-advised plan. It was a good thing, especially since I’d been considering making an attempt at talking him into never revealing what my runes meant.

I’d also heard a distinct growl from Roth when Apollo touched me.

Both men walked into the hallway, where a quiet argument ensued. I hurried to the door to hear more, afraid Apollo would spill about the meaning of the runes on my neck. To my chagrin, I made out the words “cockblocked” coming from Apollo and “son of a bitch” coming from a furious Roth. When Roth saw me listening in, he closed the door in my face. I pressed my ear to the door but couldn’t make out the rest of the conversation, so I took my place back at the table. My secret seemed safe for the moment, at least.

Bart was busily bringing in plate after plate of food, making my mouth water and making me lose interest in the argument that was getting louder by the second.

After a few minutes, the voices stopped, and Roth returned sans Apollo. They seemed to have worked on their conflict resolution skills, since he wasn’t bloodied and panting this time.

“I apologize for the inconvenience. Let’s dine, shall we?”

“You don’t have to protect me from him.” It was a halfhearted protest, since my eyes were riveted to the fresh baguette that lay before me. And I certainly wasn’t going to tell him that even though Apollo was a gorgeous god, I preferred Roth’s tall, dark, and handsome looks to Apollo’s golden-boy glow.

“Apollo just wants to use your body. That’s what he does.” Roth waved his hand dismissively.

“You mean he didn’t like me for my winning personality?” I met his gaze.

“Please. Apollo only cares about his pleasures.”

I snorted. “And you’re so different, incubus?”

Roth seemed to consider his words carefully as he ran his long fingers across the back of the chair. “Where you’re concerned, yes. Now, no more talk of him. Let’s dine.”

I didn’t take kindly to being told what to talk about, but I could no longer ignore the sumptuous feast.

Bart had cooked a delectable dinner of beef bourguignon with buttery roasted vegetables and fluffy rolls. I tried my best to be ladylike and limit the food on my plate, but the doleful look from Bart had me loading up more food. After all, I didn’t want poor Bart to think I didn’t like his food, now did I? Take that, Mama. Roth watched with interest as I ate, offering me more wine and food as I went.

“Does your incubus have a thing for watching women eat?” I asked when he pushed the tray of rolls toward me again.

He laughed. “I just find that food is one of the simplest pleasures in life. One that I’d like to share with you.”

I pushed the plate away. “You really know how to get into anyone’s pants, don’t you?”

He leaned back in his chair. Had that been hurt that flashed across his eyes? I found it hard to believe an incubus of Roth’s caliber could ever feel unhappy about a comment on his wooing prowess. But there it was, written plain as day for a split second.

“Look, I—”

“Shall we go?” He cut me off, rising from the table.

“Yeah, I’m ready to work. I think your study would be perfect.”

“I’m afraid not, carissima.”

“Then where, in your sitting room?” I was trying to figure out where I could plug in my laptop.

“We’re going on a field trip.” He gestured for me to accompany him into the foyer.

“No, we aren’t,” I said with what I hoped was finality.

“Do you want to know about my life?” He bristled slightly at my defiance.

“I thought we already cleared that up.”

He softened his stance, apparently trying a different tack and no longer ordering but asking. “The best way for me to tell you about it is to show you.”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. An incubus specialized in one thing…and he wanted to show me? Again? Hadn’t I seen enough of his sexcapades last night? No matter. If I had to watch him bed every woman in town to get him where I wanted him, so be it. The thought burned in my gut, but I would do whatever it took.

“Fine, but tell me where we’re going.”

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